Secrets
by StarlitDuck
Summary: Kuzco and Pacha have a little chat in the jungle where they reveal aspects of themselves that no one know about.


Kuzco sat on the dirty floor of the jungle, watching Pacha light a fire. It was the middle of the night and actually really cold. At least, cold by Kuzco's standards. The palace was always toasty and warm. Ironically, Kuzco sometimes found the palace too warm, and would often ask his servants to fan him in order to cool off. He sometimes wished that he could move to a cooler place.

_Oh, how naive I was, _Kuzco thought to himself.

"Alright," Pacha said as he came over to the young emperor. "The fire is all set."

"Finally," Kuzco said. Pacha raised an eyebrow.

"You know, you can always make one yourself," Pacha said.

Kuzco snickered.

"I would," he said. "But one, I don't know how and two…" Kuzco held up his hoof and showed it to Pacha. "That would require me to still have hands."

Pacha chuckled.

"I can always teach you," he said, "in case you ever get stranded in the wilderness again."

"No, that's okay," Kuzco replied. He sighed as he set his head on the ground. "I swear, I am going to do something terrible to Yzma once I change back."

Pacha only nodded in response. The two stared into the bright, flickering fire like it was a beacon of hope.

"This could be your last night as a llama," Pacha finally said.

"That's the hope," Kuzco responded. Pacha stared at him.

"You don't sound very enthusiastic about that," he said. "Is something wrong?"

Kuzco laughed. A hollow laugh, but a laugh nonetheless.

"I was just thinking about all that I learned during this time," he said. "How is it possible that I learned more as a llama than I ever did in the palace?"

Pacha shrugged.

"Well, you know what they say," Pacha said. "You learn something new everyday. Especially when you are thrust out of your comfort zone."

Kuzco looked into the fire again. He was certainly thrust out of his comfort zone, that's for sure.

"Pacha?"

"What is it, bud?"

"Do you think...do you think I deserve this?"

Kuzco stared at Pacha as he thought about this. He adorned an interesting, brooding expression when he was deep in thought. Thanks to the glow of the fire, he looked kind of alien. _Maybe he is alien_, Kuzco wondered.

"No," Pacha finally replied. "I don't think anyone deserves what happened to you."

"Well, then you clearly don't know a thing about me," Kuzco said with a scoff. "I'm...I'm awful."

Pacha grinned.

"Aren't we all?" he asked.

Kuzco looked at Pacha in surprise.

"I'm sorry," he said. "But did I just hear.._you_ say that? The guy who thinks there is good in everyone?"

Pacha chuckled.

"You did hear me say that," Pacha said. "And I'm not taking back what I said earlier; I do believe that there is good in everybody. But everyone has a dark side. And to prove it, I'm going to tell you a secret that not even my wife knows about."

Kuzco scooted a little closer to the llama herder as he started to speak.

"Sometimes," Pacha began, "when I pass by the fruit stand in my local marketplace, I can't help but look at the fruit and think, 'what if I stole one? It's just one little piece of fruit. Surely, nobody would notice if I took it. Why can't I have the satisfaction of stealing just one, just once?'"

Kuzco's eyes grew wide as he listened to Pacha tell this tale.

"Of course, I've never done it," said Pacha. "But just because I've never done it doesn't mean the temptation isn't there."

Kuzco pondered this before he answered.

"Well, at least you're not like me," he said. "At least you're not spoiled beyond belief."

"Oh, you'd be surprised," said Pacha with a chuckle.

Kuzco looked Pacha in the eye.

"I've never told this to anyone," he said. "But sometimes, when I look in the mirror, I think to myself; 'I have everything. I am everything that I could possibly be. Why then do I feel so...empty?"

Pacha didn't answer. Kuzco thought he must have thought the question was rhetorical, so he repeated it.

"Why am I so empty, Pacha? And what I am supposed to do with myself after all of this is over?"

Pacha adopted his brooding expression again. Kuzco could practically see the cogs turning in his head.

"I think," he finally said, "that that is something you need to work out with yourself. I can't give you that answer. You are the one with the answer. You can change, or you can walk out of this exactly the same. But that is your decision, not mine. I can't tell you what to do. You're an adult; it's time to make some adult decisions."

Kuzco nodded. Pacha gave him a little smile.

"That is something I had to learn when I turned eighteen," he said. He then yawned. "Anyway, I think it's time for me to go to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow."

Kuzco gave a small smile.

"Alright," he said. "Good night, Pacha." With that, he lowered his head and went to sleep.


End file.
